Avi Arad is making a film based on the robot toy Robosapien, and for the release of the film he's designed a new version of the toy called Toby.

Yes Avi Arad used to be a toy designer, and so he's turned his hand to creating a new robot to tie in with a film he's creating based on the Robosapien toy, you know the robot who does...things.

According to the Variety story, Arad has already written the script for the film with Max Botkin, and he has the Bratz Director Sean McNamara lined up to direct. The budget is being pitched at somewhere between US$25-30 million and will be a mix of live action and CGI.

The story is a take on the Pinocchio story where a scientist who is working on robots for humanitarian purposes and is creating artificial intelligence discovers his project is destined for the military. He runs off with the robot and loses him in the process. A boy finds the damaged robot, repairs him, and they race away from the authorities.

Of the project Arad said:

"With 'Bratz,' distributors took a calculated leap of faith with us, and now we're asking them to do it again...I go after intellectual properties, whether they are comics, videogames or toys, and it's about finding the right things with cinematic value, to make movies that have some kind of brand awareness."

Brand awareness...that means merchandising and profits, and you have to hand it to him, he does this really well. Could this be another big earner, and should this be the way films are made?